Durga Puja....

In every culture there are certain days which are regarded as a very special days of their calendar… every religion has their own customs and rituals… every country celebrates different types of Festivals according to their time period…

Just like Christmas and Id and any other customs like others all over the world…India also celebrates its rituals and customs and a complete festive season occurs in different times of the year in India… As India is a multi – religion country with its vast different cultures and rituals so every time in India people enjoys different festivals within the country…. Among all other festivals there is another huge festival that all over the people of the country enjoys is…”Durga Puja”. It is one of the most big and lively festival within India… though it is been mainly celebrated in West Bengal… but all parts of the country enjoys this” Puja” (worship) with huge celebration and with full of joy. This festival comes at the end of the year mostly in the months of September – October. In this festival Goddess Devi Durga is been worshipped and it is been said in the Hindu religion that this time Devi Durga comes with her 4 children to visit her maternal home on the earth from “Kailash”… which is an imaginary place where Devi Durga lives with her husband Lord Shiva… this festival is a Hindu festival but there is no such restrictions of enjoying this festival… every people enjoys this festival equally…

In Kolkata and in other parts of the country this Puja is been celebrated with full of lives and with immense enjoyment… and in several areas in Kolkata “Pandals” are made where the Idol of Goddess Durga is been worshipped… people from everywhere visits these pandals to say their prayers and to see Goddess Durga and to invite her cordially to the world of humans… this is believed that when Devi comes She spreads love and fraternity all over the places on the earth and creates peace and secures Her worshippers and devotees from every kind of evils and ominous forces…

In Kolkata this festival is been said as the “Festival of Joy” and delights everybody specially the children… this festival is quite a long awaited festival for everyone. People wait a whole year only for this festival. Specially Bengali s enjoys this festival immensely and buys new cloths for themselves and for their friend and relatives and exchange presents among each other’s and gives treat to their friends and relatives with different delicious foods and desserts… like: luchi (a kind of fried bread), alur dom (potato curry), shukto( a kind of vegetable curry), beguni (egg plant / brinjal fry), polao / ghee bhat( fried rice), kopi and potoler danla( a cauliflower curry), ilish mach bhaja / bhape / doi ilish( Ilesha fish) , chingri macher malaikari ( shrimp ‘s curry) etc..And in desserts they takes roshogolla , mishit doi, nolen gurer shondesh,etc and lastly they end with pan as a mint.

But before the beginning of the celebration they believe the starting of Devi Pokhsha which actually starts from the time of “Mahalaya” and this indicates the end of “Pitri pokhsha” and starting of “Devi pokhsha” when the Puja of Goddess Durga happens. This puja lasts for 5 days… the first day is called ‘Panchumi’, second day as ‘Shoshti’, third day as ‘Shaptumi’, forth day as’ Ashtumi’ and fifth day as ‘Nabami’ and the last day when the puja ends that day is called as ‘Bijoya’ and this is the most important as well as sorrowful day for everybody because it is said that on this day Devi returns to Her home in Kailash and after a long gap of a year She will visit once again…. This day the festival finally ends and this is mainly a thanks giving day where everybody bids thanks to one another and does “Pronam “to the elders and men also does “kolakuli” with one another to create brotherhood and fraternity among themselves for the rest of the year and to maintain peace among themselves.This is how for a year Puja ends and countdown starts for the next year for this festival to come once again in their lives and again to spread happiness among the people…whether they are rich or poor or of different religion or of different customs…